1919 Powerplus

[pisten-bully]

Amazing! Wondered how you were going to deal with that front cylinder exhaust port so it's pretty cool to see how you did it.

[T.D. Styles]

Hey Harry - further to the exhaust port, as you can see I have a new nipple more or less in the correct position. Also have 3 chunks of what used to be the port that sort of fell onto the bench along with the crushed nipple when we were disassembling. Someone had dished out some serious hard times on this engine somewhere along its' history. So, the plan now is to position the new nipple in the correct orientation and then weld the pieces back in place. I have laid it in and there are a couple of holes remaining which I will weld up. It should look alright once finished, unfortunately it will be a rather permanent repair and the nipple will be in place for good! But that is ok, as this machine will not be changing any more hands.

Thanks for looking and taking the time to reply. Will post more photos later as we progress. The plan is to completely assemble the bike to make sure everything is going to fit/work and then will strip it down for plating & painting. Won't be done in the near future, but should look good when it is. Plan to put the engine back together this fall so will post a video of smoke & noise when we get it running.

Later - Tim

[Shaky Jake]

I have a front cylinder with the exhaust port broken in a similar way. The exhaust nipple was brazed in place long ago. The old repair seems stable and strong, so I don't think I'll mess with it. I would like to have some fins repaired though, if you know anybody who does that, please let me know!

Can't wait to see your motor run. And mine, for that matter.


Kevin, 97

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[T.D. Styles]

If you have access to a MIG welder, you could use small wire and do it yourself. Just build up along the ridge and then spend time with a file & small die grinder and you should be able to bring back the profile you are looking for. Did several fins on this engine.

[Shaky Jake]

If you have access to a MIG welder, you could use small wire and do it yourself. Just build up along the ridge and then spend time with a file & small die grinder and you should be able to bring back the profile you are looking for. Did several fins on this engine.

What wire did you use Tim?


Kevin

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[T.D. Styles]

Believe it was .023 Flux core. On holiday will check when we get back and confirm

[BoschZEV]

If you have access to a MIG welder, you could use small wire and do it yourself. Just build up along the ridge and then spend time with a file & small die grinder and you should be able to bring back the profile you are looking for. Did several fins on this engine.

The following post, and a few that followed it for the next two weeks, show in a fair amount of detail how I reconstructed some fins on a BSA head using TIG to add material, a mill to remove the excess, and final shaping with a pneumatic file:

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbth...764#Post526764

Although the above post deals with aluminum, my approach with cast iron would be the same. However, the details would differ due to the nature of cast iron. Preheating, use of a Ni filler, and slow cooling are essential for a good weld to cast iron. I can't see how using flux core MIG wire of any kind would result in anything but with some metal very weakly attached to the fin.

[Shaky Jake]

The following post, and a few that followed it for the next two weeks, show in a fair amount of detail how I reconstructed some fins on a BSA head using TIG to add material, a mill to remove the excess, and final shaping with a pneumatic file...

You are a man of many talents, sir. I, on the other hand, was hoping to find someone with more skills than I to perform the task in exchange for money and/or parts.



Kevin


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[fillibuster]

[QUOTE=Shaky Jake;149725]You are a man of many talents, sir. I, on the other hand, was hoping to find someone with more skills than I to perform the task in exchange for money and/or parts.

How far are you from Wichita?
Bud Redmond used to hold a cast-iron welding party every New Year's Day (not suggesting you wait that long). 2 or 3 yeqrw ago I
attended, and picked up on a few things.
The exhaust port is on an outer extremity of the cylinder, and would require only a controlled application of heat at that area. Naturally the rest of the cylinder would get the heat as well, but you would find it easier to control-cool the work with less chance of weak areas from uneven cooling.
There are also a number of sites that can offer advice on the practice, one being Lock-n-Stitch.
And of course, there are the pros that do this stuff all the time.
I think that your precious metals rate a little more of an investment (not necessarily $) than a quick trigger MIG.

[Tom Lovejoy]

Awesome work and a great thread Tim, keep at it. Do you know Johnny Eagles in So Cal ? He might have the parts for your engine. I can put you in touch if needed. Good luck

[Shaky Jake]

[QUOTE=fillibuster;149729]

You are a man of many talents, sir. I, on the other hand, was hoping to find someone with more skills than I to perform the task in exchange for money and/or parts.

How far are you from Wichita?
Bud Redmond used to hold a cast-iron welding party every New Year's Day (not suggesting you wait that long). 2 or 3 yeqrw ago I
attended, and picked up on a few things.
...

Hi Filibuster,

I live just a few miles north of Omaha, NE, which isn't all that far from Wichita, KS. Do you think Bud would be interested in repairing some cooling fins?



Kevin

.

[painterdale]

Looks like an exciting project, Tim. I'll be following with interest. Dale

[fillibuster]

[QUOTE=Shaky Jake;149737]

Hi Filibuster,

I live just a few miles north of Omaha, NE, which isn't all that far from Wichita, KS. Do you think Bud would be interested in repairing some cooling fins?
Kevin
.

Kevin, and Tim;
I've also mig'd a number of things in my time, tig'd some (but not aluminum). The mig is great for a lot of things, but on cast iron it's capacity is very minimal. The problem is in mending two pieces of work together. Cast iron is not malleable, does not grow/shrink in the same proportion as steel. When two pieces of cast are mig'd together the weld material, which will shrink when cooled, pulls on the cast surfaces that it is intended to hold. Eventually the cast surfaces fail.
The pros that weld heads and blocks preach that the work (the piece you're fixing) has to be heated up to 2000 degrees (approx) in an oven, and welded in that heat with like material (cast iron rod), maintained at that heat for a period of time (varies), and then slow-cooled evenly throughout the work. The slow-cooling is accomplished by lowering the oven heat slowly, and finally by submerging the work in a barrel (bucket) of vermiculite. An afternoon work will still be warm in the morning when pulled from the vermiculite, which assures an even cooling rate on all (theoretically) areas of the work. The vermiculite is flaky/granular, kind of like oatmeal flakes, is an insulator, and is supposed to settle into and against all surfaces, and is intended to limit uneven cooling, so you would hope that after a period of time that the valve seat is still the same temp as a cooling fin.